


You are Like a Mother to Me

by dykecassandrawayne



Category: Batgirl (Comics), Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, DCU, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Coming Out, F/F, Fluff, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Trans Female Character, a bit of angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-04
Updated: 2019-06-04
Packaged: 2020-04-07 13:25:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19085953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dykecassandrawayne/pseuds/dykecassandrawayne
Summary: Barbara watched as the young girl sparred with Tim. Though Tim really wasn't a match for her at all.She had showed up out of nowhere and helped the team out from time to time. Barbara started letting her into the clocktower whenever. And then Barbara let her move in with her a few weeks ago.The girl went by no name. Barbara wanted to change that."Hey you!" She yelled at the pair.Tim looked at her only to be punched in the face by the girl."Not you Robin. Go get an ice pack while I talk to her." Barbara said."Uh, okay Oracle." Tim said."You can call me Babara, this isn't patrol." She said."Yeah okay." Tim said as he left the room."So you need a name." Barbara said.The girl just pointed at a bin of batarangs.Barbara shook her head. "No, not that kind of name. A civilian name. Like I'm both called Oracle and Babara or Babs."





	You are Like a Mother to Me

Barbara watched as the young girl sparred with Tim. Though Tim really wasn't a match for her at all.

She had showed up out of nowhere and helped the team out from time to time. Barbara started letting her into the clocktower whenever. And then Barbara let her move in with her a few weeks ago.

The girl went by no name. Barbara wanted to change that. 

"Hey you!" She yelled at the pair. 

Tim looked at her only to be punched in the face by the girl.

"Not you Robin. Go get an ice pack while I talk to her." Barbara said.

"Uh, okay Oracle." Tim said.

"You can call me Babara, this isn't patrol." She said.

"Yeah okay." Tim said as he left the room.

"So you need a name." Barbara said.

The girl just pointed at a bin of batarangs. 

Barbara shook her head. "No, not that kind of name. A civilian name. Like I'm both called Oracle and Barbara or Babs."

The girl just smiled. She barely spoke and even when she did it was small words. 

No. Yes. Stop. Him. What. Me. Eat. Bad. Good. Fight.

The only words the girl ever said. And many of those were in her sleep when she had nightmares she couldn't form into words when she was awake. Barbara has been trying to teach her sign language but no matter how hard the girl tries something is off.

"I came up with a list of girl and unisex names that aren't terrible." She held up a piece of paper. It was a list of names that Barbara had once been through herself and in the end she chose Barbara, after her mother.

The girl moved closer to Barbara as she began reading off names. "Abigail. Allison. Amy. Angel. Barbara." 

The girl was looking at her funny.

"Yeah you could be Barbara too. Barbara Junior. BJ… oh no. Nevermind. Wow I never thought about that. Okay next name is Bette. Billie. Brittany. Callie. Candance. Carly. Cassandra. Ca-" 

The girl grabbed the paper. "Yes." She said.

"Ca?" Barbara asked, confused with no response.

"Cassandra?" 

The girl looked at her and smiled.

Cassandra looked at her and smiled. 

Barbara smiled back. "Cassandra. I like it. It was one of the names that made my top five list along with Amy, Thelma, Bette, and of course Barbara." 

Cassandra blinked at her.

"You know how we called you a boy when you were first brought to the clocktower. When you had been shot in the leg." 

Cassandra nodded. 

"While people thought I was a boy for ten years." Barbara said.

Cassandra nodded.

"You're like me." Barbara said.

Two weeks later she handed Cass a mask. "You're like me, Cassie. You're Batgirl." 

"Babs." Cass said.

Barbara stared at her as she signed a B and touched Barbara with her other hand.

"Holy shit. You said my name. Cassie, I'm so proud of you." Barbara hugged the new Batgirl.

Barbara didn't mention the moment to anyone when Cass showed off her Batgirl suit. It was her special moment with Cass.

"She looks almost as good as you did in the ears." Dick said.

Barbara rolled her eyes and smiled. "In my opinion… she looks better." 

She really did even though it wasn't anything like Barbara's old costume. In all honesty it was better and more appropriate.

"Enough there's work to be done." Bruce said.

When Cass began to understand everything Barbara said and talked about; she was surprised but not upset. 

However Cass seemed upset.

It was weeks before she found out about a psychic messing with Cass's mind. Now that. That made her a bit upset. Even if she was glad she could communicate with Cass better, it still involved changing Cass's mind. 

But then they were at the point that Cass didn't seem to care anymore. She was still better than anyone at what she did.

"Hey, Cassie, can I ask you a question?" Barbara asked.

"Yes, you can. What is it?" Cass asked, looking up from a children's book that Barbara bought her.

"Before you could really understand… how did you know you were a girl?" Barbara asked.

Cass blinked. "I did not. I just knew he and him and boy felt wrong."

"And how does girl and she and her feel?" Barbara asked.

"Better. Gender is not something I understand but being a girl is better than being called a boy." 

"Could you be nonbinary?" Barbara asked.

"What is that?"

And that was the night Barbara helped Cass figure out somethings. For one, while Cass was nonbinary, she was girl aligned so she still was good with she/her pronouns.

One day she found Cass staring out the window. 

"Cassie? Are you alright?"

"Yes. No. I think I messed up a friendship." 

"With who?"

"Steph."

"Oh, sweetie, what happened?" Barbara rolled over to where Cass was sitting.

"I kissed her." 

"Oh? What did Steph do?" Barbara knew Cass had only kissed one person; that was Superboy and she had only kissed him because she had thought he was a girl named Kon-El. She didn't hear the Superboy part.

"She kissed me back but then pulled away, said 'holy shit' a few times." Cass frowned.

"And then?"

"She got a call from her mom and had to go home." 

"Why do you think you ruined your friendship with her?" Barbara asked.

"Because she said holy shit. Shit is something bad." 

"Cassie, no. Holy shit is a phrase that people use for many different reasons. I think Steph likes you a lot. You should ask her out on a date." 

"A date?"

"Yes. Like dinner at a restaurant. Some place semi nice. Nothing fancy. There's a diner not too far from here called Al's. It's 1950s themed." Barbara said.

"And Steph would like that?"

"You asking her on a date, hell yeah. The diner? I don't know but I know it has good food including waffles all day." Barbara smiled.

"Okay. I will go ask her on a date."

"Right now?" Barbara asked.

Cass nodded.

"Considering her first reaction to her dad being a D-list villain was a to become a vigilante, I think that might actually work very well." 

Cass came back an hour later with a smile on her face. "She said yes!" 

"That's great." 

Cass signed a B and pointed at Barbara and then signed thank you.

"For what?" Barbara asked.

"For being there for me." Cass signed.

Barbara smiled.

Cass came to the clocktower late on the night of her date. But she was happy when she did come in with a happy Steph following her.

"I see the date went well." Barbara smiled at the two blushing teens.

"Yes. It did."

When Bruce adopted Cass, Barbara couldn't help but to feel sad. But Cass looked so happy. So Barbara faked happy. But Cass knew. Yet she didn't say anything.

Cass had a parent now. But Barbara couldn't help but to feel like Bruce was taking Cass away from her.

However… Cass was seventeen. She needed to be able to be a semi normal teen. Barbara was almost always being Oracle. And for the most part Cass spent her time training in the clocktower while Barbara worked.

It was better for Cass to live with Tim, Bruce, and Alfred.

Almost a year later Barbara found Cass sobbing on her couch.

"Cassie? What happened?"

"Steph is dead." Cass said.

Barbara's heart broke. Stephanie was impulsive and reckless but she was also so strong and resilient. She was so driven to be a hero and now she was dead.

"Come here." Barbara held her arms out as Cass ran to her. 

Barbara held Cass while she sobbed. 

When Stephanie turned out to be alive Barbara found Cass training with a punching bag in the clocktower.

"How are you doing, Cassie?" 

Cass stopped and looked at her. "I thought she died." 

"We all did."

"I wept for her."

"I know."

"I missed her."

"I know."

"I loved her."

"Loved? Or love?" Barbara asked.

Cass frowned. "I don't know. I feel upset and mad."

"And you have the right to be. Maybe time will heal this wound." Barbara said. Cass just gave her a slight smile.

And time did heal the wound.

Barbara smiled as she did Cass's hair. "You make a beautiful bride." 

"Thank you. And thank you for walking me down the aisle." 

"Not really walking more like rolling. But it's no problem. I know that with Bruce being dead things might be harder but I'm glad I'm here for you since he can't be." Barbara said.

"I would have you roll me down the aisle even if he was alive."

"What? Why?" 

"You are like a mother to me, Babs." Cass said before signing a B and the word mom.

Barbara smiled slightly. "Thanks, Cassie. You're like a daughter to me." 

Barbara held Cass's hand as they went down the aisle. Cass wore a bright white lace tea dress while up at the front Stephanie wore a sparkly blush dress. They were both so beautiful. 

Barbara felt tears building up in her eyes as Cass and her got to the end. Cass gave her a hug and whispered, "I love you, Babs." 

"I love you too, Cassie." Barbara whispered as Cass moved to her place next to Stephanie.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [You're Like A Daughter To Me](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19183972) by [dykecassandrawayne](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dykecassandrawayne/pseuds/dykecassandrawayne)




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